Polish press review 06/07/2007 - Government & Economy

ENERGY: Poland Not to Sign Declaration on Participating in Lithuanian Power Plant Construction Friday as Planned - Poland will not sign a declaration on participating in the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Lithuanian town of Ignalin Friday, as Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski cancelled his visit to Vilnus. Poland could not joint Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia in the project at all due to high costs of the Ignalin power plant, according to earlier declarations by economy minister Piotr Wozniak. [Rzeczpospolita]

TAXES: EU Maintains Lower VAT Tax Rates Until 2010, Instead of 2007 - The European Commission decided to maintain current VAT tax rates in all EU countries until 2010, rather than 2007. The resolution is seen as highly beneficial to Poland. [Rzeczpospolita]

POLITICS: Parliament Starts Work Thursday on Preventing Offenders from Becoming MPs - Parliament decided to start work Thursday on implementing a constitutional ban on convicted offenders becoming MP's. If the regulation is adopted, coalition member Samoobrona (Self Defense) leader Andrzej Lepper, among others, could be excluded from Parliament. [Rzeczpospolita]

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POLITICS: Prime Minister Suspends Prominent Governing Party Member for Criticizing Foreign Minister - Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski suspended the vice-chairman of his ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, Pawel Zalewski, after the latter criticized Foreign Affairs Minister Anna Fotyga for her handling of the negotiations on the EU's internal voting system at the recent Brussels summit on June 21-22. [Gazeta Wyborcza]

HEALTHCARE: National Health Fund (NFZ) May Direct PLN 1 bln to Nurses' Salary Raises - Nurses are likely to terminate their strike if the government earmarks 80% of a PLN 1 bln National Health Fund (NFZ) cash injection on nurses' salary rises. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski is said to possibly agree on the proposal under two conditions; that nurses remove protest pickets outside his chancellery, and that all the unions concerned agree. [Rzeczpospolita]

BUDGET: Finance Minister to Limit other Ministries' Spending - Finance Minister Zyta Gilowska is expected to announce within days new limits on other ministries' spending. The new savings plan is envisaged to save the budget PLN 48 bln, as the government will direct the means to finance family support among other expenditures. [Rzeczpospolita]

TRANSPORT: Poland's Highway Investments to Cost PLN 164 bln by 2015, Transport Minister - Poland's road infrastructure investments are to cost PLN 164 bln by 2015, Transport Minister Jerzy Polaczek said Thursday, though he did not say where the government would acquire money for the purpose. Poland needs around 1145 km of highways, according to the ministry's estimates. [Rzeczpospolita]

EU: Polish MEPs Do Not Function Well in European Parliament, Institute of Public Affairs - Polish MEPs do not function well in the European Parliament as they often fail to look after issues other than strictly Polish ones and have more ambitions to gain significance on the Polish, rather than the European political scene, according to the Institute of Public Affairs. [Dziennik]

LABOR: Poland Eases Bureaucracy on Foreign Seasonal Workers Thursday - Poland adopted an executive ordinance allowing foreign nationals to work in Poland for no longer than three months without a valid work permit. Foreign seasonal workers will simply have to present a Polish employer's declaration of willingness to employ the person at the border crossing. [Dziennik]
Source: gielda.wp.pl